


Constellations

by theinsidiouscinnamonroll



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, OCs - Fandom
Genre: :P, F/F, ive spent three months on this like at, nobody's actually gonna read this i just figured i posted it on here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-08
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-25 04:07:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12027774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theinsidiouscinnamonroll/pseuds/theinsidiouscinnamonroll
Summary: This is a little gift for @alexfierrno for her birthday. Thank you for being such an amazing friend and I hope you enjoy this little Hogwarts AU featuring our favourite people to torture XDThis is the story of a Hufflepuff girl named Katie falling for her best friend, a Slytherin girl named Alek





	Constellations

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alexfierrno](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=alexfierrno).



Two first years sat eagerly, waiting to see to which house they would be sorted into. The one was a muggleborn girl with long blonde hair that reached down to her waist with a lavender colour touching the tips. She had a bad case of acne and black-framed glasses with thick lenses. She seemed like the girl people would warn you to stay away from if you wanted to have any chance of being cool. But still she chatted with the kids beside her, asking what house they thought they would be in, how cool magic was and how she always knew it was real, even though the kids in her muggle school started making fun of her for still believing it at age 10.

On the other hand, the other girl, a halfblood, stood off to the side, not really wanting to draw attention to herself. She had black hair with a few shocks of red running through it done, unlike the other girl, with magic. She lived in a household surrounded by it 24/7 to do simple tasks that nobody could really bring themselves to do. Cooking, cleaning, making their beds, laundry. Everything. Magic was a thing that seemed to be around every corner of the girl’s life that she already knew she wouldn’t get as excited as the blonde during her years at Hogwarts. What fascinated her the most is how the girl managed to get her hair that wonderful shade of lavender without using magic….

“Alicia Tamsen Middleton!” Professor McGonagall called, startling the black-haired girl. Taking a deep breath, she stood up, deciding not to draw more attention by correcting the headmistress. Everyone’s eyes trailing on her, not leaving for a second makes her want to run away so she doesn’t ever see another person again. It made her heart pound as she rushed to the stool on the stage. Delicately, the worn hat was placed on her head.

She sat there for a full five minutes. The hat debated back and forth, not sure if her traits were those of a brave Gryffindor or an ambitious Slytherin.

In the end, the hat roared, “SLYTHERIN!” There was a roar as students welcomed their fellow house member. On the benches, the blonde girl sat practically bouncing, wondering what house she would be in. Maybe she’d be in Slytherin with the Alicia girl, or maybe the house of the famous Harry Potter who she had only just started learning about. She was so lost in thought that she almost didn’t hear them call her name.

“Kathryn Madison Rayburn!”

“It’s Katie,” Katie murmured as she walked up to the stool slowly. She sat on it and closed her eyes as the hat was slowly put on her head. It seemed like forever, but the hat had barely touched her head before it called, “HUFFLEPUFF!” The Hufflepuff house table all stood up, cheering excitedly, making Katie fill with joy. Finally she would belong somewhere.

* * *

Two years later they were on their way to their first Hogsmeade trip. Katie was practically the sun she was so full of energy. Alek watched from far away, a small smile on her face. She had to admit, the Hufflepuff girl had more light than the brightest star in the galaxy. She was constantly waving to people in the halls, even if they were total strangers that she had never seen before that day. As much as Alek tried, Katie always seemed to try and drag her into something to make her time at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry worthwhile, even if she was just planning to go day to day with nothing eventful. She organized study groups, book clubs (which was actually starting to become really popular. Students especially enjoyed the muggle story about Percy Jackson), and was always sitting with another student everyday, including those from other houses.

Everyone knew Katie Rayburn, everyone liked Katie at least a little bit, but nobody seemed to be her real friend. There was nobody that seemed constant enough, and sometimes it bothered the poor girl late at night when she was supposed to be asleep. Sure, it was all fun and games, socializing and laughing a few good laughs with a few nice people, but nobody sought her out the next day or asked if they could walk to class with her.  She was the girl that was there for you, but nobody was there for her. It bothered Katie more than it should.

Now, getting ready to depart, she walked towards Alek, a girl she never talked to much because, well, she never seemed to want to. But something in her features… it showed loneliness, and nobody should be lonely on a day such as this.

“Hi!” Katie says, standing in front of Alek with a blinding smile. Alek, who was sketching on a notepad, jumped, turning to her. The first thing she noticed were her big hazel eyes, framed with the black glasses. They were an awkward shade where you could argue that her eyes were green, but if you looked close enough brown took over with the occasional shock of gold. Alek, the artist that she was, could spend hours describing and colouring the beauty that was Katie’s eyes, but she had other things to worry about. Like the fact that someone was talking to her. Great.

“Hello?” Alek says, her voice raising in pitch to a question, not sure how to respond.

“Whatcha drawing?” Katie asks, sitting down beside her. Alek scrambled to turn the notebook over, not wanting the girl to see.

“N-nothing.” Katie, bless her, just shrugged and said, “Okay.”

“Are you excited for Hogsmeade?” she said, practically bouncing up and down with energy. Alek shrugged.

“Sure I guess. I’ve been there before, though.” Katie gasped excitedly, and her energy levels went from 5 to 924837328210 in two seconds.

“OH MY GODS YOU’VE BEEN TO HOGSMEADE??? OH GODS WHAT WAS IT LIKE?” Alek shifted over a little, wary.

“It was okay I guess. A good place if you want all your money to go down the drain. Especially Honeydukes.”

“Honeydukes?” Katie asks, tilting her head with curiosity. Alek found herself flushing.

“Y-yeah it’s this candy store that sells all kinds of weird sweets. But they’re really good. I wouldn’t mind some myself,” she says, her stomach growling.

“Okay that is our first stop.”

“Our?” Katie looked away.

“I-I--well--I assumed that you might want to--um--”

“You want to spend the day at Hogsmeade with me?” Alek says, sounding shocked.

“Well… yeah. But only if you want to,” she says in a rush, her words practically melting into each other. And then, for the first time in a long time, a grin broke on Alek’s face as she stood up.

“That would be nice,” Alek half-sings, not realizing she’s doing it. Katie gives her a befuddled look.

“W-was that…? Was that a Hamilton reference?” Alek’s ears turn bright pink.

“IT WAS WASN’T IT!” Alek says nothing. Katie coughs.

“Well then let’s start over, shall we?” Alek looks at her, furrowing her brows.

“‘ _Pardon me, are you Aaron Burr, sir_?’” Alek might’ve died.

“‘ _That depends, who’s asking_?’” Katie giggles.

“‘ _Oh sure, sir. I’m Alexander Hamilton, I’m at your service, sir. I have been looking for you--_ ’”

“ _‘I’m getting nervous_.’” Alek actually starts to shift. Katie stands up and takes her hand.

“I found a Hamilton fan I am actually lowkey dying.” Alek looks away.

“My mom likes--liked--it.” There’s a question in there somewhere that should be asked, but Katie decides against it. The way Alek seemed to fold in on herself told her that it was a subject she didn’t want to talk about.

“Oh cool. I just heard about it through social media and stuff.” Before either of them could get another word in, the teachers started to round everyone up to go to Hogsmeade and the subject of Hamilton was abandoned in favour of the subject of Honeydukes and some drink called Butterbeer (which still, to this day, shocked Alek that Katie had never heard about it). For once, Alek was glad to be in the presence of another person.

* * *

“Would it be bad if I hurled this textbook in the lake so that the merpeople could get educated instead of me?” Katie says, groaning and closing her textbook with a thump. Her and Alek were sitting on the lawns of Hogwarts, studying for their OWLs. Katie loved magic, probably more than anything, but there come a point in one's life where they have had enough of reading about what herbs go to which potions and which plants are the most dangerous ones known to magic.

Alek chuckles. “That would be unfair to the merpeople, Katie.” She doesn’t look up from her Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook.

“Okay you’re right… but that still doesn’t make me want to hurl this book as far as I can.” Alek looked up, a small, teasing smile on her face.

“Alright Rayburn no need to get vicious there….”

“I know you want to do it too.” Alek acts like she’s debating back and forth between the two choices, but really there was no choice.

“Yeah true.” Katie sets her textbook aside and scoots closer to Alek.

“How about we don’t study.”

“What?”

“Let’s do something else.”

“Who are you and what have you done with Kathryn Rayburn?” Katie wrinkles her nose.

“I hate being called Kathryn.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“Wow great reason Katie.”

“I know right? It’s the best reason known to man.” Alek rolls her eyes, her smile widening by the second.

“You’re a dork.”

“Says the dork.”

“Why am I a dork?”

“Because you’re a dork.”

“Okay we definitely need to work on your reasoning skills.” Katie sticks her tongue out, making Alek giggle uncontrollably. Only Katie had that power.

“But seriously,” Katie says, pulling Alek’s textbook away and pushing the notebooks and pencils away. “When was the last time we had any fun?” Her eyes are sparkling.

“543 days, 34 hours, 21 minutes, and 13 seconds ago why?”

“Geeze Alek what the freak?”

“What I get bored.” Katie shakes her head, laughing.

“We have two days before our OWLs and we’ve been cramming this stuff in for two weeks. Let’s do something else.”

“Like what, your royal majesty?” There’s a mischievous glint in Katie’s eyes.

“Like this.” And then, she grabs Alek’s hand, pulling her to her feet, and runs to the nearest body of water, jumping in and dragging Alek with her. They break to the surface and and Alek gasps.

“KATIE WHAT THE FRICK???” Katie laughs and pushes her wet dreadlocks out of her eyes.

“We’re having fun.”

“You just jumped off a cliff into a lake.”

“Alek there was barely a drop.”

“Still.” Katie shakes her head.

“Just swim with me Alek.” And so they did.

Later, they sat in the woods, their clothes damp and hair wet, laughing at a joke that Alek made. They watched the sun disappear through the trees, fading into night, the stars starting to blink into existence. Katie lies in Alek’s lap, naming off the different constellations.

“...And this one is the--” She falls silent, her voice fading into a snore and Alek looked down to see that she fell asleep, a small smile on her lips, her hazel eyes closed and glasses starting to fall off her face. Alek’s face cracked into a smile as she slowly picked up Katie in her arms, making sure to hold her gently, and carried her back to Hogwarts. Katie fidgeted in Alek’s grip, turning around and wrapping her arms around Alek, mumbling, “Mr. Snuggles you give the best hugs.” Alek snorted, going into the Hufflepuff dormitory and setting Katie gently on her bed (they both know how to get into each others dorms).

“Night,” she whispers, hovering at the door for a second before leaving. There should be more people like Katie Rayburn in the world.

* * *

 Katie didn’t know when it started. How her mind suddenly inverted the picture that was Alek Middleton and saw something that was a lot different.

Maybe it was when she commented on her hair when she got it cut to her shoulders. Maybe it was when she admitted that she missed Katie’s all-too-nerdy glasses when she got contacts. Maybe it was when her arm casually brushed Katie’s as she reached across the table for the butter.

There was two things that Katie was sure of though. 1) Alek was extremely hot. Hotter than any person has a right to be and (dare she say it) more beautiful than the goddess of beauty herself, Aphrodite. 2) Katie was very, very gay for Alek Middleton.

It was a weird sense of vertigo when she realized it. One moment, she was planning on finding someone to take to the school dance, the next she didn’t want to go with anyone but her. Where one moment she wanted to give her a hug, the next she was wondering what it would feel like to kiss her.

Maybe these thoughts were with her all along. That’s how most things are. But now they demanded her attention, and Katie had no idea what to do with them.

_I’m in love with my best friend._

* * *

“Today you will be making the amortentia potion with your partners,” their potions teacher says, displaying the potion for all to see. There was a chorus of oohs and ahhs, everyone knowing the effects of this powerful love potion.

“We have already learned about this potion before, so I won’t explain it, but now it is time to make it. Turn to page 461 in your books, please.” Everyone did as told and Alek turned to Katie and pretended to gag, which made Katie giggle.

“Work on this with your partners, without help, and we’ll see how many of you get yours to the lovely shade of pink we see here.” Immediately, students started to work, eager for the challenge. Alek rolls her eyes.

“What possible use is a love potion?” Katie shrugs, getting her tools and ingredients out.

“Sometimes people just need someone.”

“But resorting to a love potion? Not only is that shallow but it’s… wrong.” Katie starts to cut herbs.

“Maybe so. But the teacher told us to do it so we’re doing it.” Katie, for one, was eager to see what she would smell. Would it be baking cookies? Or maybe old books? Or candles. She really likes candles.

But perhaps it wouldn’t be much of a change. She was already standing close to Alek, considering the cramped room and all, and she was able to smell her rosemary shampoo that made her hair so soft (like really soft). Knowing the fact that she was helplessly in love with Alek, she would probably smell the same thing she smells now.

They worked quickly and efficiently, chopping ingredients, grinding herbs, pouring them in the boiling pot. Soon, theirs turned the same shade of pink as the one on display.

“Well done girls!” their teacher disappeared again to critique someone else's who messed up horribly.  Alek wrinkles her nose.

“Geeze Katie did you use the whole bottle of perfume this morning?” she asks. Katie quickly went through her morning routine, trying to remember if she even chose to wear perfume today. She woke up late and mostly stumbled around, half asleep. She brushed her teeth, took out her retainer, and left the bathroom without any makeup or perfume. Um.

“Alek… I’m not.. Um… wearing perfume today…” Someone behind them laughs, trying to cover it up with a cough. Alek ignored them, freezing on the spot. She sniffed again. Yep that was definitely Katie’s rose perfume she stole from her mom. But if she wasn’t wearing it today then that meant….

“Oh gods.”  Alek rubbed her eyes, sitting down. Was she….? Did she….?

“Alek?” Katie steps closer, concern in her beautiful hazel eyes. She’s drawn them a million times, never quite satisfied with how they came out. She could never capture the sparkle and kaleidoscope of colours.

“Katie?”

“Yeah?”

“What do you smell?” She thinks for a second, choosing her words carefully.

“Rosemary.” No freaking way. Did Katie…? No of course not. Alek was just trying to sort through her mess of emotions while being hopeful of something that didn’t exist. Their friendship wasn’t like that…. Was it?

Suddenly, Alek rethought her whole life.

_Oh gods I do like her._

“I-I gotta go. I think I’m going to be sick.” Katie stands up.

“I’ll go with you.”

“N-no I’m fine.” And then, she got up and rushed out of the room, spilling a bottle of powdered moonstone.

And then, she locked herself in the bathroom for the rest of the day.

* * *

Katie couldn’t find Alek anywhere. She wasn’t in her dorms, she wasn’t outside, she skipped all of her classes for that day, she just disappeared. It was worrying, and Katie didn’t know what she would do with herself if something were to happen to Alek. Alek was her best friend who was always there for her, even when in fourth year that boy broke her heart by cheating on her with some Gryffindor girl. Alek who was ready to punch a kid in the face for any of her friends, especially if they made a rude comment regarding Katie’s weight. Alek, who she’s been in love with for at least a year now. Alek with her beautiful bronze skin and brown eyes that made Katie melt like chocolate. The small dimples that appeared on her face when she smiled. But now Alek was gone, and Katie could do nothing but hope that she wasn’t doing something stupid.

Meanwhile Alek was on the Astronomy tower, staring at the stars. It started to become a coping mechanism for her. When she was lost an alone, she would go up here as the cool wind blew lightly on her face, wrapped up in one of her old quidditch sweaters. If it was night, like it usually was when she woke up from a nightmare, she would stare at the stars, hearing Katie’s voice sing the names of the constellations, sometimes telling her stories about Orion or other heroes featured in the stars. She could even hear her voice now, even though it was broad daylight, telling her about stars that weren’t visible with the sun shining brighter than them all.

Katie was like the sun. She was bright, she brought happiness, she made the normal fog of the school days lift and felt Alek with a warmth that she wasn’t able to explain. Until now.

_I’m in love with my best friend._

Katie Rayburn, the girl who talked about stars like they weren’t just dots flickering across the sky like scattered marbles. Katie with hair made of gold and eyes Alek could spend days and days talking about. Katie with the personality of an overexcited puppy as she dragged Alek through Hogsmade, forcing them to eat candy until they were sick.

Katie who could never possibly love her back. Alek hugs her arms around her knees, her worn cardigan slipping off her shoulders slightly. The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon, bringing with it the cold night chill that seemed to reside deep into her bones. The only warmth came from the fires of love burning in Alek’s heart. They’ve always been there and they always made her content with her life, but now they were slowly dying, the look of embarrassment on Katie’s face flitting through her closed eyelids, as if it was a bad thing for your best friend to love you.

Alek turns at the sound of footsteps, ready to growl at anyone who decides to comment on her tearstained face or laugh at her for being gay and outing herself in front of the whole class, and more importantly, Katie.

But it was not a petty Gryffindor marching up to make fun of a Slytherin, as things usually went at Hogwarts. No. It was a girl with bright red cheeks from the cold bundled in a jacket and yellow and black scarf and matching hat. She had freckles like the constellations she loved so dearly and golden locks that Alek wanted to run her fingers through as she pressed her lips to her lip glossed ones.

“K-Katie?” Alek says, her teeth chattering. Upon further inspection, Alek sees that Katie’s eyes are red and puffy like she’s been crying. She breaths out a sigh of relief and rushes over to where Alek is sitting, scooping her into a hug. Alek is too surprised to react.

“Don’t you _ever_ do that again,” Katie says, burying her face in Alek’s hair, breathing in the scent of rosemary. Alek’s confused.

“W-what?”

“Alek you can’t just.... _disappear_ like that. I was so worried and when I heard where you were--” Katie falters, fresh tears falling her eyes. Alek turns to her.

“Oh Katie I... I didn’t realize--” Katie just shakes her head, then puts her hands on both sides of Alek’s face.

“Just promise me you won’t run off like that again, okay?” A tear falls from Alek’s eye as she realizes she screwed up massively. But she nods.

“I promise, Katie.”

“Good.” And that’s when Katie Rayburn, the brightest star of all, kisses her.

Alek doesn’t know how to describe it. It’s like walking into your home, its familiar scent enveloping you in a warm hug, but at the same time it’s like exploring a vast new territory full of adventure and heart racing risks. Kissing Katie feels like a fire consuming her from the inside of her stomach out until her whole body is reduce to a pile of ash, but it also feels like she’s holding her together. Alek reaches her hands up into Katie’s soft hair, leaning forward so she’s closer. She can’t seem to be close enough.

Katie’s the first to pull away, gasping with a huge smile on her face, her lip gloss smeared and her hair a tangled mess.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do that.”

“I.... I don’t understand.” Katie giggles, touching her forehead to Alek’s.

“Don’t you see? I’ve loved you for years, Alek.”

“You have?”

“Of course. Who couldn’t love you? You’re-you’re... perfect.” A small blush spreads across Alek’s face. She’s no longer cold anymore. Katie’s embrace is one of the warmest she’s ever received.

Alek gives Katie an eskimo kiss, laughter starting to bubble out of her chest. “I could say the same about you, Katie.” Katie’s ears go red.

“Katie I... I love you.”

  



End file.
